Red Snowflake
by Yokai Moon
Summary: -New Summary- After an ill-fated event, Ruby discovers that under all the name calling, pretentiousness and harsh remarks, princess mentality, and the bitter cold shell shielding Weiss's heart, there's just a sad and lonely girl. And all Ruby wants to do is hold her. Cover done for me by vnixxir (previously known as omgwtfdondake) over on dA. Non-canon elements within
1. Chapter 1

Had this originally on dA because I didn't know there was an RWBY section on FFN so guess where I'm uploading this story from now on?

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Chapter 1

_Tell me, I want to know, how does it feel to be the loneliest of them all?_

Weiss's frowned deepened at the sight of Ruby Rose when she entered the classroom. The ecstatic, young teenager was forever oblivious to the cold stare the heiress to the Schnee Dust Corporation was giving her and seemed perfectly content in chatting with a male student who had walked in besides her. Every day for the past three weeks, Weiss had to be in the presence of that dolt and it made it increasingly had to concentrate on her on work:

That laughter.

That smile.

That natural simpleton-like attitude that seemed to attract everyone and their mother.

It all made Weiss sick.

In the back of the classroom, as physically far away from Ruby as possible, Weiss observed how every no name Ruby passed put a smile on his or her face and greeted the younger student with sickeningly, sweet affection. It had been like this since the start of the semester. Ruby was far from being the outcast, but was still in a position where people made fun of her and kept their distance because of, not only her age and the fact she was admitted into the Academy for supposed favoritism, but her relation to Yang. If word got out that people were picking on Yang's younger sister, there would be hell to pay, so they put on their masks for the day, never giving away who was sincere and who was trying to save their own skin.

Weiss was sure none of them were the girl's friend, except the blonde boy, but by the way they acted towards her, one would think they have known each other for years.

A student, who's name Weiss hadn't bothered to remember, ran up to Ruby with a bounce in her step and poked at the younger girl's cheek. Ruby, in turn, blushed a light shade of pink. Her male companion laughed and then rubbed the back of his messy, blonde hair while saying something to erect an even deeper blush from the girl. Ruby then punched the blonde in the rib-cage and knocking him back against the wall while she shouted in rambles over what he had just said.

Weiss's expression glowered and her eyes narrowed darkly at the group.

The teacher had finally come in and broke things apart before they got out of hand and everyone took their assigned seats.

Except Weiss, of course.

She had argued tooth and nail that she did not need to be assigned anywhere and would pick her own seat, going so far as to threaten the teacher's position if she didn't get her way. The professor, a short haired, tall male did not want to waste his strength trying to argue with the heiress so let her decide. She took the seat furthest from Ruby, but also the one with the best vantage point to look outside. She could day dream all she wanted, until the professor called upon her.

"Ms. Schnee, if you could be so kind to give me your attention, I would like you to please analyze these four weapons and relate them to each other. How could these three work perfectly together as a team?" the professor asked with a deep German accent.

Weiss turned her head slowly from the window and glared immediately at Ruby, who had turned her head towards her, "Of course, Mr. Zwilling."

She stood up, her chair easily sliding back to allow her to move, and went to the front of the desk with her head held high. She barely looked at the students, who were inferior in every way. Answering the question was simple enough. It did not take a genius to figure out how to perfectly display a complete synchronism of four vastly different weapons. To further show her intelligence, and prove she was better than anyone in her class, she then explained how each weapon, with the right wielder, could execute a perfectly timed attack that would an enemy wishing it was dead, in theory.

To say the least: no one was impressed and if anything, they were pissed.

Weiss eyed her classmates to gauge their reactions, hoping someone, anyone, would recognize her genius, but no one did. They simply glared back at her as if she was the bane of their lowly existence. The white-haired heiress scoffed at them and tossed her ponytail over her shoulder. She took her seat, making quick, powerful strides to demonstrated she was not someone to be looked down on. When she finally sat back down, Ruby shot her hand into the air so quickly she almost have herself whiplash.

"Ohohohohoh, Mr. Zwilling!"

The professor pinched the bridge of his nose, "Yes, Ms. Rose?"

"If what Weiss is saying is correct, then could it be applied in actual combat? I mean, I heard from Yang that would be put into teams, but she said that wouldn't be for another month or two, but if weapons were on the same team could it be possible to get that move to work against a Grim? Though, everyone on the team would have to agree and-"

Jaune nudged Ruby slightly, "Hand."

Ruby blushed, quickly shutting her mouth, and put her hand down, having realized she never did when she started talking, "Oops, sorry."

"Well this is Combat Theory 101, if you forgot what class you're in," Mr. Zwilling said with a chuckle. Ruby's enthusiasm was so contagious it was rubbing off on even him, "So yes, in theory it could work and if you get lucky enough to get people with these weapons on your team, you're welcome to try and then write your thesis on it."

Ruby gasped out loud, her eyes bugging. "T-thesis?!" she sputtered as if the term was foreign to her.

"Of course, all Beacon Academy students have to turn in a term paper at the end of the school year for one of their classes, the student choice of course. It's roughly twenty pages long, not including your cover page and reference page," Mr. Zwilling explained, "Most professors don't bother telling students anymore, but I'll make an exception for you, Ms. Rose." He then addressed the entire class, "It can also serve as a refresher for all of you."

While Zwilling told the class what the term paper was and it's requirements, Ruby slumped in her desk miserably grumbling about how homework sucked and Weiss glared at the back of the younger girl's head until the end of class.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ruby hummed to herself as she bound off to her next lesson with a bit more pep in her step. She was ready to continue on with her day in high spirits, even though in the back of her mind she was praying the term paper she had to right wouldn't get in the way of more desirable activities: preferably ones involving Crescent Rose and a poor soul brave enough to challenge her. Unfortunately, dueling instructions weren't till the evening and people were openly afraid of what she could do with her weapon.

The young scythe-wielder slowed her pace until she was standing besides the large pond in the garden. Even as scatterbrained as she was, Ruby would be a fool not to admire the building's beautiful castle-like structure. Beacon Academy was not Signal Academy by a long shot. It was better in almost every way: mock duels, intermediate and advanced weapon mechanic courses, dorms where girls weren't forced to share a single bathroom, even the meals were better than Signal.

_But I do miss their cookies._ Ruby thought and her stomach growled in agreement. She gave a hearty laugh and hugged her stomach, "Oh shut up. We're miles away from the nearest town so you're not getting any cookies."

It hadn't sounded so bad in her head, but saying it out loud made her depressed and she whimpered. The cookies Ozpin had given her were good, but now that she was thinking about it, Ruby wanted Signal cookies and nothing else would do. She made a mental note to track down Yang to see if her big sister couldn't pull in a favor.

Her stomach growled louder.

"Alright, alright I get the message!" Ruby huffed.

She didn't feel hungry, but her stomach was saying otherwise. Ruby backtracked to the cafeteria, no longer concerned with making it to her next lesson in earnest. She would get scowled again, but when her tummy cried for food who was she to ignore it?

"Besides, who would let a starving huntress go into battle? That would just be evil," Ruby said out loud, "If I don't get food now, I'll probably faint in battle, or worse, fall sleep during a lesson. Ruby felt a cold shudder run down her spine when she recalled the scolding Glynda Goodwitch gave her for taking a nap in her class.

She could still feel the sting of that crop against the back of her neck and then another sting against the back of her hand for trying to make an excuse.

It wasn't a far walk to the dining hall, and Ruby was so grateful for the chaotic schedule the school seemed to maintain she forgot her pain. The dining hall served any and all students who were hungry no matter what the time. It probably had something to do with the equally chaotic schedules some students had, but just because Ruby wasn't studying her butt till two in the morning like some students -Yang- didn't mean she couldn't take advantage of the cafeteria's open 24/7 polices.

"No matter how many times I come in here this place is amazing," Ruby was always in awe by the interior design of the dining hall.

The dining hall had two levels: the top was for VIPs, and staff, while the lower level was for everyone else, but the tables and chairs weren't a cluttered mess. There were long tables that could seat about 40 students and then in isolated nooks and crannies were tables that could seat four people max. Each individual table was decorated with a white cloth with the academy's insignia at the center of the cloth and a single glass vase that held within it one flower.

The interior design was breathtaking. Large, white pillars, strategically placed in various areas of the dining hall, towered over the entire area. The white petaled flowers bloomed from thick, black vines that coiled around the pillars reminded Ruby of the moon in the standing out in a starless sky.

Her stomach growled louder, demanding it have some attention paid to it, meaning it was time to stop sightseeing and get some food.

What Ruby had not anticipated was the dining staff finding her so adorable that they practically threw whatever sugar confection on Ruby's tray without a second thought. It was surprising at first, but once Ruby saw the cupcakes, brownies, frosted treats, pies, and the likes, she couldn't resist taking them. She wasn't even mad that there weren't any cookies. Who would be foolish enough to deny the pile of treasure in front of them even though it was missing a few pearls?

Ruby's eyes shimmered as she looked upon her tray that was piled high with all sorts of treats. Nothing on her tray could remotely be called a wholesome meal, but food was food even if it contained artery clogging sugar and fats. So what if she couldn't see past her tray and as she walked to the nearest table she was wavering a bit, Ruby couldn't help but feel _someone_ was watching her.

"Watch where you're going you dolt!" a sharp, very familiar, voice cut into Ruby's thoughts and the young girl groaned openly.

"Princess," Ruby greeted miserably and moved her head to look around her food. Lo and behold, the white-haired heiress was standing in her path with hands planted firmly on her hips and her stance all but friendly, "What can I do for-"

"You can get out of my way," Weiss snapped, cutting Ruby off before the younger girl could get another word out.

Her tone quickly put Ruby on the defense and she snapped back with equal fervor, "Why should I move? You're in _my_ way."

Weiss scoffed and tossed her ponytail over her shoulder, a habit that was quickly developing. She pointedly ignored Ruby's words and continued, "Move it."

"Say please," Ruby requested, with a smile, hoping that would be enough to curve Weiss's temper.

Ruby felt a cold chill run down her spine when Weiss lowered her arms from her hips and walked the short distance between them. She jerked backwards, trying to escape whatever Weiss had planned, but failed to take into account walking backwards was not the smartest idea. Thanks to her food, Ruby's balance was unequal and she tripped over herself, landing painfully on her back. Her food went sailing into the air and,unfortunately, came crashing down on and around her.

Weiss chuckled in amusement and walked over Ruby. She moved purposely so she did not step in any of the sugary confections that littered the floor, "Serves you right, dolt."

The heiress disappeared up the stairs to the VIP floor, leaving Ruby to wallow in her own food-covered disgrace. Her cheeks turned a deep crimson, almost dark enough to match the highlights in her hair, and she wished the floor would swallow her when she heard the collective laughter of some students, who had watched the entire exchange from a safe distance. Covering her face with her hands, Ruby silently made a wish, prayed a little even, to make it so that the past event never happened.

Yet, despite her humiliating fall at the hands of one, obnoxious princess, Ruby couldn't bring herself to hate her, no matter how hard she wished she could.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Yang stared at her sister with a frown, "Um...Ruby-"

"I know!" Ruby whimpered, her eyes tearing up as she stood in front of her older sister. Her clothes and skin were caked in layers of cream, frosting, bright-colored goop and then there was the vast amount of pink fluff that was sticking just about everywhere on the front of Ruby's shirt; Yang briefly thought her younger sister rolled around in cotton candy machine, "I look horrible."

"What happened to you?" The blonde asked sternly, Yang's facial expression went from bewildered to pissed off in a matter of seconds; her protective instincts kicking in faster than the time she punched Junior in the face, "Better yet, who did this to you?"

Ruby waved her hand dismissively, "Don't worry about it. I just want a shower!"

"Sis, there is no way I am letting anyone get away with this!" Yang shouted, "Was it that Scheen girl!"

"It's Schnee," Ruby corrected absently. Yang gave Ruby a hard glare and the smaller of the two rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "But she didn't do this."

Ruby wasn't lying. The reason Ruby was covered in everything sugar-coated under the sun was because she failed in making a tactical retreat. She did take into the account the fact Weiss was walking up to her, but that was probably because she wanted to move past Ruby, not start a fist fight. Ruby was the one who jumped the gun and concluded Weiss was out to physically harm her and took the means to back away. None of this was Weiss's fault, Ruby reasoned, because she didn't touch her.

"Besides why would you automatically think it was her?" Ruby asked with innocent curiosity. Even though this was technically the first time in weeks Ruby has spoken to Yang longer than five minutes, Ruby wanted to know how much Yang heard through the grapevines. Students at Beacon were just like teenagers, always talking about everyone else's problems than trying to deal with their own, so maybe Yang had overheard someone talking about Weiss and how she despised Ruby.

Yang crossed her arms across her chest, "Well it's no surprise that, that cold-hearted bitch doesn't like you-"

"Aw Yang, don't be so mean."

"-and I heard-"

_Of course..._

"-she called you brain dead!" Yang exclaimed, "Only I'm allowed to call you that!"

"Wow sis, thanks. I can practically feel the love underneath the layer of chocolate." Ruby pouted.

Yang let her shoulder slump, "You know what I mean. I can't let people pick on you. Even if you can handle yourself. I just don't want you feeling like someone's punching bag."

Ruby didn't let her face portray her feelings. It sounded so strange thinking her own sister didn't think she could take care of herself, but instead of pressing the issue, she simply shook her head, "Yang, this is nothing to punching people in the face for. I'm okay, really."

"If you say so. I won't go around doing that, I promise." Yang admitted in defeat. She gestured towards the girls dormitory, "Go find a shower and get yourself cleaned up, baby sis. I'll meet you at the dorm later so we can study."

"Roger that! And don't call me baby!" Ruby smiled widely, grateful her older sister yielded to her, and bound off to the building in haste.

Yang watched her sister leave with a steely look in her eyes. Unfolding her arms, Yang's hands wound tightly into fists and her bracelets swiftly came into place, covering her hands in her signature golden gauntlets. She hadn't lied to Ruby. She wasn't going to punch anyone in the face.

She was going to burn them alive.

X-Red Snowflake-X

Ruby could not have been any more grateful for the lack of bodies parading around the dorm. With a towel wrapped around her head to dry her hair, Ruby swiftly padded off to her room with a wide girl. Her clothes were dumped in the dormitory laundry room, where they would be dry cleaned and sent back to her beloved Crescent Rose needed a good cleaning, but that was what she was going to her room for. Luckily the belt that held her weapon wasn't completely trashed, so she kept it around her waist. Until her clothes came back, she would have to deal with wearing a shirt and a pair of Yang's workout pants. Ruby rationalized that her older sister wouldn't have minded at all, though she would have to explain how she acquired the pants in the first place, but she wasn't going to do that.

Now that she was squeaky clean and classes were prematurely over due to the absence of the professor for the class she was supposed to be attending, Ruby was free to relax for the rest of the day.

"I wonder if Yang wouldn't mind spending the rest of the day with me," Ruby thought aloud, when she stood in front of her dorm. Taking the towel from her head, Ruby slung it over her shoulder and then fumbled around in her pant's pocket for her key. When she didn't find it Ruby pouted, "Awww man! Don't tell me I left it in my pouch!"

Spinning around to go back to the laundry room, Ruby was ready to run. That was, until, she saw a darkened shadow through the color tinted widows. The figure was hopping on top of the many trees surrounding the dorm, growing closer and closer and Ruby cautiously took a step towards the window in curiosity.

"What in the-"

Ruby's eyes widened when the mysterious figure leaped off the nearest branch, dodging what seemed to be a flaming bullet, and crashed through the window Ruby was standing in front of. Glass exploded around Ruby and, just as she was ducking, the figure smashed into her sending them both tumbling into Ruby's door.

"Ugh..." Ruby groaned as she saw stars in her vision and various little . The weight of another human being was crushing her lungs, and an elbow was digging into her ribs, "Geddoffmeh."

Ruby grunted when a hand pressed into her face and the weight shifted more unsteadily. She felt a knee dig sharply into her thigh, but soon she was free of the pressure crushing her ribs and she could breathe.

"You!"

Ruby's head was pounding, no thanks to hitting it against her door; she flinched at the harsh tone, but knew exactly whom it was who was screaming at her, "Oh God..."

"Don't you 'oh God' me, you dolt! I should have known you'd go crying to her when you got the chance! Can't fight your own battles yourself, huh? You got so scared of me you had to go crawling to your older sister like a baby-"

She wasn't _that_ disoriented to know those weren't nice words and Ruby shot to her feet to come face to face with a very distraught Weiss, her towel long forgotten at her feet. She could feel the fury rolling off the girl in waves and the older girl's weapon, which had been drawn and gripped in Weiss's hand, was shining a bright red from the runes that were scribbled all over the blade.

"Hold on a minute!" Ruby shouted back, "I didn't send anyone after you!"

"Then why, when I was minding my own business, your-" Weiss gave Ruby a poke in her chest angrily to emphasis her point, "Sister comes out of nowhere and shoots bullets at me, you moron!"

Now Ruby was starting to get mad, but not at Weiss. She couldn't believe her sister had went behind her back and attacked Weiss after she had made it clear Weiss was innocent. Sometimes she wished Yang was like the big sister people had who let their younger sisters deal with their own problems. Then again not many of those sister had as strong of a protective instinct as Yang. It also didn't help that the slightest annoyance made Yang turn into a dragon that would make any and everyone miserable beyond hell.

"If I had half a mind I could report her for assault and battery! But when I bet you'll go crying to Professor Ozpin and bat those eyelashes at him and she'll get off scoot free." the heiress crossed her arms over her chest and glared hard at the dumb stuck girl.

Going to Ozpin just because of what Yang did was far from Ruby's mind. Ruby eyed Weiss's hands. She was more concerned about the glass shard that was lodged in Weiss's hand, and was more surprised the heiress had yet to notice it.

"Your hand..." Ruby muttered.

"Excuse me?" Weiss growled.

Ruby sighed, hoping her disinterested tone put Weiss in a better mood (then again, what she had tried before didn't work) and pointed towards Weiss's bleeding hand, "Your hands is bleeding." She bent down and picked up her towel and ripped a strip off, "Here." She held the strip out to Weiss, but her hand was batted away.

"I don't need charity from you," Weiss said in a clipped tone and raised her bleeding hand to her face to inspect it. Growling, Weiss turned her anger back on Ruby, "This is all your fault!"

After a few moments of silence, Ruby blinked a few times and finally responded, "I'm sorry what?"

Weiss stomped her foot, "You're so brain-dead I can feel my I.Q. dropping just being around you! Do I need to spell it out for you: if you don't call of your rabid dog of a sister or I'll-"

Weiss was cut off abruptly as Ruby grabbed her by her arm, pulling the white haired girl behind her, and swiftly stepped between her and the window. During the white-haired girl's tirade she failed to notice Yang steadily closing in, but Ruby had noticed and thus wanted to stop anymore unnecessary violence. The black-haired teen glared at Yang, who saw Ruby standing between her and Weiss and she immediately allowed her weapon to return to their original phase.

"He-hey sis," Yang greeted nervously, "Nice weather we're having huh?"

"Yang!" Ruby shouted and pointed an accusing finger towards her older sibling, "What do you think you're doing?! I told you it wasn't Weiss!"

"Oi! I know it was her because you said it wasn't!" Yang growled, " I just wanted to make sure she never touched you again-"

"I told you already: I didn't touch her!" Weiss snapped back.

"Like I'm supposed to believe you!" Yang exclaimed.

Both glared daggers at each other in hopes their stares alone would kill the other in the cruelest, painfullest way possible.

"You could have believed me." Ruby muttered looking crestfallen with the lack of trust her sister seemed to put in her. She looked like someone had kicked her Crescent Rose out the window, "Why didn't you believe me?"

Behind her, Weiss slipped the glass shard out of her hand and removed a cartilage from her weapon's chamber before sheathing her rapier. She cracked it open and sprinkled the blue dust over the opening of her wound. When the dust came in contact with her blood, it immediately frosted over with ice, sealing the wound. She quietly slipped the towel out of Ruby's relaxed grip, slightly surprised the shorter girl didn't notice, and then wrapped her hand. The heiress finished her tasked and eyed the to sisters who were still going at it.

When Weiss finally paid them some mind, she notice Yang rubbing the back of her head and the blonde sighed loudly, "Because you have this habit of protecting people who has ever done you wrong, Ruby. You forgive to easily and even if she..." Yang paused to give Weiss a pointed glare, "Didn't necessarily put her hand on you, she did cause you to fall that much I know."

Ruby stomped her foot, "How would you know if you weren't there!"

"HEY!"

Without warning, Ruby's door was thrust open and her roommate poked her head out, her black hair sticking in every direction and it was clear she had just crawled out of bed by the way her pajamas were ruffled and bunched up. Her pants barely fit around her waist and they were slipping off, but at the moment, she didn't look like she cared. Yang and Ruby suddenly found themselves lined up in front of the black-haired girl, like they always did when someone used that certain tone of voice that said 'I'm really pissed off in a calm way'. Weiss rolled her eyes, but didn't follow the idiot-duo's example.

Blake said with an cold stare, "Do you mind taking this else where?"

"I don't mind at all. It's these two you should be mad at," Weiss said with a shrug of her shoulder.

"Find another place for your drama, please. Unlike some people have tests to study for," Blake muttered and she slammed the door shut without waiting to hear their responses. She clearly didn't leave room for argument.

Weiss scoffed and turned on her heels, "This is stupid. I'm going to get a professor to report the damage you've caused to the dorm."

Yang opened her mouth to say something, but Ruby quickly covered it with both her hands, "Yeah, you do that, see you later, Princess."

"Why don't you go jump off the roof?!" Weiss threw over her shoulder before disappearing down the corridor.

Once she was out of sight, and presumably earshot, Ruby removed her hands, but managed to pin Yang down with an icy glare, "Why?"

She didn't need to ask the whole question; Yang understood exactly what she was asking.

"Because I don't like her..." Yang mumbled and it earned her a slap to her shoulder, "Ow! Hey, don't-"

"Now you're going to get us all in trouble," Ruby said, "Weiss is probably going to go straight to Professor Ozpin or Professor Goodwitch and they'll kick me out for starting a fight I had no part of!"

"She wouldn't-"

"She has every right to, no thanks to you! I told you to leave it alone and you didn't." Ruby whined, "You will most likely get expelled for blowing Weiss through the window for all I know!"

"I did no such thing-"

Ruby shook her head and cut her sister off once again, "She can say anything about this situation and it'll all seem like she's innocent and she is. There were students in the dining hall. She didn't put a single finger on me, Yang."

Yang, now all but defeated, let her shoulder slump. Her younger sister had just chastised her through logic and the blonde couldn't help feel a bit proud of Ruby for the amount of growing she had done in Beacon over the last few weeks. Yang recognized her mistake only after Ruby belted out the consequences of her actions and in any other situation it would be Ruby in Yang's situation.

"I'm sorry, Ruby."

Ruby sighed, "There's nothing we can do about it now, but find the nearest professor and get this straightened out, agreed?"

"Agreed!" Yang answered enthusiastically. She put her arm around Ruby's neck and pulled her sister close, only to ruffle her hair lovingly, "Look at my baby sis, growing up and acting all responsible and shit."

"H-hey! Cut it out, Yang!" Ruby screamed with a chuckle as she tried to wrestle herself from Yang's arm.

"No way! My sis deserves this!" Yang giggled.

"Stop!" Ruby begged.

The door to Ruby's dorm slammed open and Blake stood in the doorway. None of the girls moved to say anything, Yang and Ruby frozen in place by the sour look on Blake's face.

"We'll be quiet," Ruby squeaked out.

Blake eyed the two sisters and made a noise in the back of her throat before retreating back into the room, shutting the door in behind her.

Yang and Ruby looked at each other and then broke into identical grins. They could never stay mad at each other.


	4. Chapter 4

This has been edited by my new lovely Beta: bowow0708. Yep, the girl who absolutely loathes sharing her chapters, story ideas, etc with other people got a Beta, but I feel this story is worth it.

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Chapter 4

Blake looked up from her book, eyebrow rising to her hairline when she saw the heiress herself walking up to her with determination. With an exhausted sigh, Blake shut her book with a sound 'snap' and she placed it aside. It was the same book that she was trying to read when Yang and Ruby had rudely interrupted her.

Now it was Weiss's turn it seemed.

There was no way in the Nine Circles of Hell she was going to finish any book while she was attending Beacon, so why she bothered to try was beyond her. Maybe because deep down she hoped someone would leave her in peace, and not bother her. What a farfetched wish.

"What do you want?" Blake asked when Weiss stood before her.

"I need a favor."

_Adam give me strength._

Blake stood up from her seat and grabbed her book, "It would have been rude of me to walk away knowing you were coming to talk to me. I don't owe you anything, so I'll be taking my leave."

She eyed the heiress, thinking the white-haired girl was going to argue with her like she had done with Yang and Ruby. Instead, Weiss made a noise in the back of her throat and turned on her heels to walk away from the girl. Blake raised an eyebrow and shrugged before taking a seat back in her chair and opened her book. She picked up where she left off; Weiss's interruption immediately forgotten.

* * *

Blake had decided it was time to move on from her hiding spot, in case someone else decided to show up demanding favors from her. She sat in the nest of tree branches, well hidden from the rest of the world and tucked into her book without a single care.

She was not so engrossed in her book that she didn't catch the rock that was aimed towards her head. Blake scowled and looked at the projectile; her eyes followed the likely trajectory and lo and behold, a mess of blonde stood under the tree with the goofiest smile on her face.

"Yes, Yang?" Blake asked tiredly as she let the rock drop to where it belonged.

"Got a second, Blake?" Yang asked, "I kinda need a favor-"

There was no hesitation this time, "No."

Yang's face fell, "Come on!"

"Whatever you need I'm sure Ruby can help you-"

"But I can't let her know!" Yang said and rubbed the back of her head. She kicked the ground a bit, "I just need you to pass along a message for me? I swear that's all I want."

Blake snapped her book shut. There was no way Yang was just going to leave her be unless she heard her out, "Let's hear it then."

Yang jumped into the tree and handed Blake a slip of paper, "Thanks, you're the best!" Yang smiled and hopped off before Blake had time to protest.

The black haired girl never _agreed _to anything and she was within her rights to toss the paper and its unknown contents into the nearest trash can, but that wasn't her. She opened the note and read it. Her eyebrow twitched at the recipient and groaned.

She decided to take care of the delivery when she was done reading.

* * *

"BLAKE!" Ruby exclaimed in Blake's ear causing the older girl to jump slightly and drop her book.

_Good God what is wrong with these people?_ Blake growled in her mind.

First Weiss and Yang and now Ruby? Was no one going to let her read in silence?

"Yes, Ruby?" Blake asked begrudgingly.

"I need a favor!" Ruby begged, "It's super important and I'll pay you back-"

_Another favor?_ Blake picked her book off the floor and dusted it off before setting aside once more, "I'm sure you will, but I don't owe you anything, Ruby, much less a favor."

"I know, but I promise it won't be that big of a deal!" Ruby whined.

Sighing Blake decided to gave the girl an inch, finding it was much easier to hear what someone had to say rather than flat out reject them. Who knows what might happen if Ruby was denied even the simplest of favors, "Okay, what is it?"

"I need you to..."

* * *

Ruby took that inch and decided to run a mile with it.

Blake ground her teeth together as she walked from the library back to the dorms, but made sure to maintain void of any readable emotion even if she was fuming on the inside.

No one was letting her read.

She was forced to do favors and forced because Ruby's pleading, puppy like eyes were now forever burned in the back of her eyelids, so being unable to resist is the same as being forced in her book. Yang merely handed her the note and hoped for the best (she was right).

The black haired girl stood in front of the dorm mother's office and steeled herself. Why couldn't she have resisted Ruby? Why? The dorm mother was not a woman Blake wanted to deal with, but she was, once again, being forced to. Because, by all accounts, thewomanwas bat-shit crazy and if even Blake was left to describe a teacher as such meant something must have been wrong with her. Rumors were spread that a witch, who bred Grimm, tried to eat her and her brother and she was forced to do unspeakable acts, which drove her crazy. Why she was a dorm mother, let alone a professor at the institution, was beyond anyone.

Blake sighed and she knocked twice and waited for an answer. When none came, she knocked again with a little less patience than the first time.

Still no answer.

Blake kicked the door.

The door flew open and a dark-haired woman stuck her head out. She looked, for lack of better words, frazzled and Blake could smell alcohol, "What?!"

"Ms. Zwilling..." Blake began, "I was wondering about the order to get the window fixed on my floor."

The German professor opened her door fully and leaned against the frame. Behind her, the room was coveted in blackness, so Blake couldn't see anything behind the professor and if it wasn't for the fact it was still daylight, she doubted she would have been able to see the professor. The woman in question was dressed only in a pair of sweats and wife beater, so many of her battle scars could be visible along her arms, but they were wrapped loosely from the elbow down in black bandages, and her chest. Her long blonde hair was held back in a messy ponytail while her bangs nearly shielded her dark blue eyes from Blake, but the younger girl can feel the intense gaze from them even from a covered view.

"Ms. Zwilling is when I'm teaching. Call me Saden," The professor said tightly, "But the glass, if you mean the one that Schnee girl broke," She paused and scratched under her chin, looked to be in deep thought and then she looked over her shoulder, "Burned Hill! Do shut up, we have company! ...I don't care if you need to be polished. I'll do it when I'm damn good and ready to, you hunk of junk...Don't make me come in there!" Saden looked like she was about to flip her lid and Blake took a step back from the crazy eyed professor. The older woman huffed angrily before turning to Blake again. The expression plastered on her face was one of murderous intent, "Haha, weapons right? You think after so many years of being together she'd stop nagging me like my mother..."

Blake refused to acknowledge the professor's words, "Professor about the glass..."

"Oh right the glass. I already ordered it, should be here in a few days. Anything else?"

"Um...yes..." Blake said and removed the note Yang gave her and held it at arm's length away from the professor, "This is from a student, not sure who-"

Saden snatched the paper from Blake's hand before she could finish her sentence. She opened it and read it to herself. Shortly after she gave a low whistle, "Alrighty then. If that's it, good day to you madam!" Saden proclaimed ecstatically with a wide grin and retreated back into her room, promptly slamming the door shut. Blake could faintly hear the sounds of the professor talking erratically to, possibly, her beloved 'Burn Hill'.

Blake stared at the door with an unreadable expression. _Never_ again...

She went to find Ruby, knowing well aware that _nothing_ on God's green Earth was going to make up for what she had to do.

After this she was going to avoid those fiends like the plague.

* * *

Ruby was glad to hear the windows were going to be taken care of, but was surprised when Blake told her to forget the I.O.U. and never ask for her for anymore favors. Okay, she wasn't that surprised, but the fact Blake agreed to deal with psycho-Saden in the first place should have been enough reason to ask for a favor in return.

But for the moment, it didn't matter.

Her main concern now was the fact that today was going to be the first exercise at Beacon that involved her weapon. Only downside was...she had to partner up with someone...a teammate...her world was shattering around her and she couldn't stop it from happening.

In Signal, the only 'teams' were the group of students hiding in the little pockets of the campus during lunch, but it was just a "thing", a teenage thing. Ruby knew that back at Signal people surrounded themselves with others who were like-minded and everyone knew themselves well enough to team up with the right people. Ruby knew herself very well, and that meant there was no way she was going to get along with anyone she ended up being paired with.

While Ozpin was speaking about what exactly the students were supposed to do, Ruby felt her mind wonder.

The only partner she needed was Crescent Rose. It didn't judge her or make her feel like an idiot or tell her she was being a dolt. It just shot bullets and hacked things to pieces. She knew how to handle her weapon and that's why they made the perfect team. It just seemed so unnatural to have another person intrude on such a bond between weapon and wielder. If Beacon was going to have to add another human invade the equation, it better be Yang. That was the only person Ruby was willing to team up with.

"-now take your positions." Ozpin ordered and Ruby immediately went into her stance, ignoring Jaune and his incessant babbling.

She glanced over to her left and for a moment Yang smiled back at her. The blonde put on her glasses right before she was catapulted into the air like the previous students, letting out an excited cry so unlike the rest. Ruby braced herself as she too was launched from the platform. If she ended up being partners with someone who wasn't Yang, she would have to make an effort to impress them.

She was not some helpless little twerp who just got lucky.

* * *

Next time: Into the Emerald Forest they go


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ruby landed with a heavy thud on the forest ground. She did not stop to admire the scenery as she had only one thing on her mind: Yang. She sped off through the brush, bobbing and weaving past the lower hanging branches. If she couldn't find Yang there was always Jaune, even if he might have been horrible in a fight. She didn't want to be stuck with someone who couldn't pull their own weight. There was Blake. Albeit, she didn't seem so friendly, the dark haired girl was the definition of calm and mysterious...though she didn't quite make for conversation even if she did like books.

Ruby groaned mentally as she tried to figure out who else she knew. _Yang, Juane, Blake...who else?!_

Her eyes widened as a glimmer of familiar pale white blocked her path. Coming to a grinding halt, Ruby slowly looked up to Weiss, who looked none the happier about Ruby's arrival. The two stared at each other: Ruby offering a small smile, while Weiss forever scowling.

It was better than no one right? Ruby could finally show Weiss she wasn't just some kid and she knew her way around the battle-

"Wait! Where are you going?!" Ruby exclaimed when Weiss promptly turned on her heels and walked the opposite direction. She was not able to stop Weiss's retreat and looked crestfallen towards the ground. She kicked it begrudgingly, "We're supposed to be teammates..."

She watched Weiss leave through the brush and wondered if the professors would allow her to pick a different partner. Weiss obviously didn't like her, and Yang didn't help in the matter, but this was supposed to be her chance to make it up to the older girl. Of course, she didn't really want to, but it was something she felt she had to do in order to clear the bad air around them. Besides if she managed to get Weiss to act a little more friendly towards her than maybe they'd have a chance of actually being friends...

Ruby sighed, and was about to leave when a sharp tug on the back of her hood that dragged her backwards.

"By no means does this make us friends." Weiss snapped.

Ruby gleefully threw her hands in the air, fighting the urge to embrace the white haired girl, "You came back!" She did, however, allow herself the small pleasure of flailing her arms up and down in victory.

She was immensely happy by Weiss's decision to come back; she didn't even notice Juane hanging from the tree begging for help.

When they were just far enough away, Weiss finally released Ruby, but didn't stick around long enough to have a conversation. She walked forward, grumpy and with haste, leaving Ruby to catch up.

"Why are you in a rush?" Ruby asked as she paced behind Weiss.

She shouldn't have expected anything less than getting snapped at by the princess.

"I will not have my mission suffer because you decided to drag your feet," Weiss said, "I swear if I get a bad grade because you were slow-"

Ruby's eyes narrowed and she allowed her natural speed to do the talking for her. She appeared besides Weiss in a blur of red and black. She caught the older girl off-guard with her impersonation of a puppy. It wouldn't grant her any leeway with Weiss, but she couldn't help it.

"What the-"

"See I'm not slow!" Ruby proclaimed with a wide grin, placing her hands on her hips and holding her head high, "You don't have to worry about failing. With me at your side it'd be impossible to fail!"

Weiss eyed the girl cautiously, "So if I do get a bad grade-"

"You won't!" Ruby interjected, but was ignored.

"If I do get a bad grade," Weiss repeated. She was far calmer than Ruby felt she needed to be, "I'm coming after you and you won't be able to hide behind your sister."

Ruby felt a sting of hurt, but quickly brushed it away, "Just because I don't know how to deal with people doesn't mean I don't know how to deal with monsters." Weiss crossed her arms, obviously unimpressed. The younger girl zipped to her side and put an arm around her shoulder, "You're gonna see a whole different side of me, and trust me," She gave Weiss's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, "You'll love it."

"I can hardly stand _this_," Weiss glared Ruby up and down and then settled on looking the girl directly in the eyes, "side of you. What makes you so sure I'll "love" the rest?"

Ruby only answered with an even wider grin and vanished in blur, leaving behind the lingering scent and rain of rose petals.

Weiss waved the petals from her face and she looked around to find Ruby nowhere in sight, "You sure do excel at wasting time."

No rebuttal came and Weiss was left to stand impatiently among the dark trees and bushes. The wind blew through the leaves causing a rustle that set Weiss' teeth on edge.

"Ruby..." Weiss called anxiously. She peered into the darkened depths of the forest to try and find the red cloaked wonder. What stared back at her was a pair of glowing red eyes. Taking a step back, Weiss realized she was not alone anymore and turned her head every which way to see more than one set of eyes leering at her.

The collective growl of the forest dwellers grew vicious and one was so bold as to step from its cover: a Grimm, a beastly monster as black as darkness. It unleashed a howl of intimidation, but Weiss did not back down, not even when the Grimm's comrades started to circle her. Effortlessly, Weiss withdrew her rapier, a familiar weight in her hands and cast a quick rune to jump high into the air and land in a more spacious clearing. She was not dumb enough to fight in an enclosed space; her efforts weren't for not when the Beowolf pack surrounded her again.

She steeled herself, repeated her lessons in her head and her Myrtenaster awoke with in a blaze of red. Without hesitation she sprang forward, her target in sight-

Red and black filled her vision and she managed to just barely stop herself from running into the younger girl, who slew the Beowolf with a single stroke of her scythe. Unfortunately she could not stop the swing of her own weapon, but had enough sense to veer the end of the blade away from Ruby so she didn't set the girl on fire-the same couldn't be said about the poor tree.

Ruby, whom didn't realized she had blocked Weiss's way, looked over her shoulder, "Wha-"

She was distracted just long enough for the Beowolf to claw at her, but she blocked it with her Crescent Rose. The force of the strike sent her flying back against Weiss.

"Watch it!" Ruby snapped angrily, but the anger was more directed towards herself for being so careless.

Weiss, on the other hand, was having none of it and practically stomped her foot, "Excuse me?! You attacked out of turn. I could have killed you!"

Ruby rolled her eyes and turned towards the wolf, scoffing under her breath, insulted, "You'd have to try a lot harder than that, Princess."

The younger girl reloaded her weapon, sparing a glance at the pack. She was ready to charge them, hack them to pieces to vent off a bit of frustration when the tree Weiss burst into flames came crashing down. She felt cold hands grab Crescent Rose and she bristled with anger when Weiss stepped in front of her. The older girl didn't look the least bit concerned about how Ruby looked like she was going to cut Weiss's in half for daring to lay a hand on her beloved sweetheart.

"We have to go!" Weiss exclaimed and dragged Ruby by her scythe away from the rapidly spreading forest fire.

She did not release Ruby until they were distant enough away from the fire and did not stop to catch her breath until she knew they were safe. Ruby waited with the patience of a five year old before she exploded on the other girl.

"What was that?!" Ruby demanded, gesturing towards the smoke in the distance, "That should have been easy!"

Weiss straightened herself, but still kept a very hostile, superior air about her as she replied, "Well if somebody had shown just the slightest amount of caution." Weiss then angrily pointed towards the rising smoke, "I wouldn't have set the forest on fire!"

Ruby scoffed, offended and hurt, "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm just surprised that for someone who talks so much communicates so little in battle."

Ruby crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the white haired girl, "Well, I'm sorry you need my help to win a fight. I'm strong enough to do this on my own!"

Weiss returned the glare, "Congratulations, you are by far the strongest child to have sneaked their way into Beacon." She turned away from Ruby, threw her hands into the air, signifying she had thrown in the towel on the conversation, "Bravo."

Ruby stood there, jaw slack when Weiss started to retreat deeper into the forest. Child? She wasn't a child. She was every bit as mature as everyone else at this stupid school. The older girl was just a...just a...

Ruby released a cry of frustration and unsheathed Crescent Rose, cutting a tree in her passing in half. The young girl begrudgingly followed after Weiss, shoulders slumped in defeat.

Just once Ruby wished Weiss would treat her like she had every right to be at Beacon. This is one of the many reasons why Ruby kept her distance from people. Nothing good would come from befriending a person, especially someone like Weiss, but still Ruby tried because it was the only thing that could make the mission move along smoother. Ruby stared at the back of Weiss's head as they walked further, feeling the anger boil once more. Maybe, Ruby couldn't help but ponder; Weiss was right a little bit.

They should communicate more.

Ruby withdrew Crescent Rose and was about to show Weiss how well she communicated, when Weiss stopped abruptly and spun around to face her. Ruby sheathed her weapon just as quickly, chastising herself for even thinking of attacking someone from behind, well that and it wasn't her style. Weiss was pushing her to do a lot of things that wasn't in her nature.

Unbeknownst to Ruby, Weiss was thinking the exact thing, on a more less lethal level.

"Look, if we're going to be...partners..." Weiss bit out sourly, "We should...try and get along..."

Every word seemed forced and Ruby could hear it in the girl's tone and the frown on Ruby's face deepened.

"Great, you can start by apologizing." Ruby said brashly, "I am not a child-"

"I will _not_ apologize for speaking my mind," Weiss growled back. She clenched her fists tightly to her side and she felt the faintest twitching of her scar, "You're the one throwing tantrums. That tree did nothing to you!"

"Don't you start with that." Ruby threw her hands in the air, "You set one on fire!"

"That was your fault for getting in my way."

How exactly was this communicating again? Words were being exchanged, that was a good start, but Ruby was sure they were going to go nowhere. However, she was not going to back down from Weiss, show no weakness because if she did the older girl will strike again, hitting her emotionally with bitter words. Ruby would not allow that to happen again so she would have to strike harder, faster and leave no room for arguing.

"Excuse me for trying to make sure _you_ didn't get a failing grade," Ruby sniped back.

"Don't speak down to me," Weiss said, "I can handle myself fine-"

"And you did an awesome job back there!" Ruby praised with as much sarcasm as she could, "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were doing a bang up job taking your merry sweet time and hey, maybe we can go back and the Grimm will let you stand there for another five seconds and let you attack when you're ready." Ruby scoffed, "Because everyone just _has_ to cater to your every whim don't they, Princess? I bet your dad feels so proud knowing his daughter-"

Ruby's head whipped to the side; her eyes widened in disbelief when the sound of flesh smacking flesh rang deafeningly in her ears. Her cheek burned from the sting of being slapped, her eyes watered from the pain, but she did not shed the tears. She slowly looked back to Weiss, who had not a single emotion on her face, her chest heaving was the only sign she was trying to control her temper, and did not look all that ashamed when she lowered her hand, the palm red and smarting. Ruby placed a hand over her cheek, looking for any sign on Weiss's face to read her emotion, but she couldn't find a single thing. Weiss had literally just cut Ruby off emotionally.

"You," Weiss said between gritted teeth, "Are such a hypocrite."

Ruby opened her mouth to argue, but Weiss wouldn't let her.

"You demand for me stop treating you like a child, and then you turn around trying to put me down just as badly? You're a horrible person, you idiot and I hope for your sake when this mission is over we can change partners. There is nothing on this God forsaken Earth that will make me stay with you longer than I have to."

It seems even Weiss's shell had its fair share of cracks and Ruby just punched a big hole through it. She didn't even know what she said that set the girl off.

"Weiss, I-" Ruby took a step forward, "I-"

Weiss took a step away from Ruby, "Leave me alone."

She turned ready to continue on their trek.

Neither of them was fully aware of their surroundings, the argument leaving both of them lost in their heads to lick their wounds and so it was no surprise when a Grimm burst forth from the bushes. It slammed its entire body into Ruby. The girl flew off her feet and into the ground and then rounded on Weiss. It pulled its massive arm back and brought it down on her full swing, cutting deep into her shoulder and tearing away her clothes and flesh in one, swift attack.

Ruby watched in silent horror as a gush of blood sprayed from the wound and Weiss unceremoniously fall to the ground.

* * *

Next time: Ruby tries to keep calm and carry on.

A/N: Brought you by my fingers, laptop, epic music, and Beta'd by bowow0807. Don't expect an update once a week just felt like posting it today; college started for me so my future will be...study, read, write papers, study, read, goof off with xbox, read...did I say study already? I dunno it's going to be an infinite loop of pain I'm going to be stuck in for a year.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Ruby was paralyzed, not by surprise, but by fear. Fear of what she wasn't sure.

It had happened so fast. One minute she had been arguing with Weiss and the next a Beowolf had rammed into Ruby with enough force to knock her off her feet. Neither one of them was expecting a Beowolf to follow them after Weiss had set the forest on fire, but it had followed them and it was waiting. It quickly overpowered the older girl, who was momentarily struck stupid when Ruby hit the ground and before Weiss could even draw her weapon, it tore through her shoulder with its claws. It had taken a chunk of her flesh with it and Weiss felt her world slowly blacken as she fell.

The Grimm grabbed Weiss by the front of her dress and slammed her hard into the ground before she hit it.

Weiss snapped her eyes open, having closed them in a fleeting moment of pain, and drew her weapon when her back connected painfully with the unforgiving Earth. A rune of bright light blue appeared beneath her entire body and she was thrown into the air, clipping the Grimm in the jaw with the heel of her boot. Its head snapped back, a sickening '_crack'_ filled the air. It was caught off-guard by Weiss's sudden flight but quickly recovered from the blow to give chase. The massive creature followed suit, leaping high into the air its claws and fangs brandished.

Another rune appeared under Weiss's feet simultaneously as the blade of her rapier glowed a bright blue. Her Air Step technique sent her speeding towards the ground and out of reach of the Beowolf's claws. She landed on her feet with the practiced ease. When the Beowolf touched ground, Weiss spun on her heels and unleashed a wave of ice towards the Grimm. It's legs were encased in thick ice and it growled in frustration as it tried to break free, but couldn't.

Weiss clenched her teeth, trying to block out the searing pain that shot from her shoulder to her fingers. The grip on her rapier was slipping, but she did not allow herself to drop her precious weapon.

"That'll teach you to mess with me you stupid, flea-brained-" Weiss snapped at it, but was cut off as it howled.

Her eyes narrowed at it. Of course there would be more. She turned, prepared to flee the scene when her eyes fell on Ruby, who was still sitting on her butt with a look of horror on her face. Weiss's eyes widened when she saw another Beowolf approach Ruby from behind and she cursed loudly before breaking out into a full run towards the girl nearly stumbling, "Run you idiot!"

Ruby snapped out of her daze just as a shadow cast over her. She reached for Crescent Rose, fully intent on cutting the Grimm in half, but it felt as if her limbs were heavier than they should be. She was a moment too slow and the Creature of Grimm pounced. Ruby cried in agony as a body smashed into her own pushing her with enough force to send her into an aerial spin before she skidding across the ground-face first.

The younger girl groaned and pushed herself off the ground to a sitting position; she felt the warmth of her blood trickle down her head and spat out a wad of blood and saliva. She felt her tooth chip. Fan-fucking-tastic. Ruby turned her head, wondering why it had gotten quiet.

Ruby's eyes widened when she saw the Beowolf that was trying to jump her stand on its hide legs, its claws impaled deep into Weiss's back; her weapon no longer in her grip. The creature curled its lips back to snarl viciously towards Ruby and flung Weiss's body away. Ruby flinched when the pale skinned girl hit the tree's base and fell face first into the ground.

Ruby felt herself panicking...again; she knew she was panicking and that's why her body wouldn't move forward no matter how much she willed it to. Weiss was lying motionless on the ground drowning in her own blood and that should have been enough to get Ruby's legs moving, but they wouldn't budge. She told her brain to move her body that Weiss was going to die if she didn't do something. She reasoned she couldn't move because the Beowolf had hit her hard enough to have broken something, but the only pain that she could feel was in her chest; her ribs were probably cracked and it didn't help that Weiss hit her with enough force to possibly break them.

Why didn't Weiss's aura activate?

_What the hell was going on?!_

Maybe her fear was knowing Weiss was going to die because Ruby failed to pay attention. Because she was too busy trying to one up Weiss, she wasn't aware of her surroundings and now Weiss was going to die. She was going to die because of her mistake. This was one of the many reasons why Ruby never got too close to other people. Once she gotten to close to them, they would leave her.

Ruby squeezed her eyes shut as tears streamed down her dirt-stained cheeks.

It was going to kill her.

All that talk about how fast she was and yet she wasn't.

Ruby felt her heart clench and her hands dug deep into the dirt.

Why did everyone around her always have to die?

Weiss made a pained cry as the Beowolf brought its hide leg down on her back.

Ruby snapped her eyes open as she felt a jolt go down her spine, and before she even registered her movements, launched herself at the Grimm. Crescent Rose had assumed its scythe mode before Ruby triggered it, and she gave herself the speed she need to ram her entire body into the wolf. She heard two things snap: one she could assume was her cracked ribs giving way, and the other was probably the Grimm's spine. The force pushed the wolf off of Weiss and through several trees, but Ruby went with it, only stopping when the eighth tree slowed the wolf's velocity down.

She didn't even wait for it to get up. She returned Crescent Rose to rifle mode and shot its head off. Ruby clenched her teeth when she heard a snarl behind her and turned about sharply to see another Beowolf stalking towards Weiss. Crescent Rose transformed in a beat and she pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the Creature of Grimm in its head and came sailing through the other side. It hit the Beowolf that had its hind legs encased in ice was directly in the bullet's way and it too fell.

She could not help but regret how easy the fight would have been if she had been a tad bit faster.

The black haired girl wasted no time and rushed to Weiss's side, casting a look over her shoulder now and again when the trees and brushes rustled. She got on her knees beside Weiss and gently rolled the girl onto her back, trying to rouse her not too roughly. When that didn't work, she inhaled deeply and pushed down hard on the wound on Weiss's shoulder.

That got a reaction.

Weiss turned her head and coughed up blood before addressing Ruby. Her eyes weren't fully open however, "Y-you...idiot...I was con-concentrating my...aura."

"Excuse me for making sure that you don't fall unconscious!" Ruby snapped. She kept her hands pressed firmly on the wounds. She examined Weiss carefully, noting that the Beowolf's claws did not go all the way through, but her coughing up blood meant that Weiss was now bleeding internally. Ruby chewed her lip nervously, trying to get her aura to sync with Weiss' to help in any immediate healing, but it felt like it was being blocked. It felt as if Weiss's aura was pushing against Ruby's to force her out, "The wounds are to bad for you to heal them on your own Weiss. You can probably stop the bleeding if you let m-"

"S-shut up..." Weiss whispered as her eyes closed fully and she fell silent.

"No, Weiss, stay awake!" Ruby plead, pressing harder on the wounds in a hopeless effort to get the blood to stop flowing. She abandoned the aura and tried to do it the old fashioned way.

Weiss coughed violently, spitting out blood. Ruby's hands, knees, the front of her shirt, and skirt were drenched in Weiss' blood, so what does a bit more matter? She was already kneeling in the small pool that gathered under the white-haired girl's body so it was too late to be disgusted by bloody spittle. However, the moans of agony were enough to get Ruby to momentarily pause in her efforts, but it did not stop her for long. The youngest whimpered, knowing Weiss was in pain, but she kept putting pressure on the injury.

"Open your eyes Weiss, please," Ruby begged. When she saw Weiss wasn't opening her eyes, she felt herself panicking again. She couldn't let her slip into unconsciousness, not now, "W-what's...what's your favorite color Weiss? Can you tell me that?"

Weiss barely registered the question, if she were thinking clearly, she would scoff. She didn't have the strength so she easily gave in and answered in a weak, tired voice, "P-purple..."

Any other time, Ruby would have cracked a joke, but now was not the time. She continued to press against the wound and the blood was thankfully slowing. If she could keep Weiss awake, the heiress would be in no immediate danger of falling unconscious and dying. She pushed forward with her questioning, taking the lessons her uncle taught her and applying them effortlessly.

"Why is it your favorite?" Ruby asked.

"R-re-reminds me...of my papa."

Ruby could hear it in Weiss's voice: the older girl was straining to keep her focus.

"Describe your dad to me."

Weiss was silent for longer than Ruby liked and she checked to make sure she had her eyes open. Fortunately, she did, but Weiss looked expressionless, but at the same time was oddly focused.

"Weiss, about your dad," Ruby urged.

She felt the older girl's chest heave, before she replied, "D-died...he died."

Ruby felt her heart drop into her stomach at the confession and she wished she could withdraw her question. She felt sick. She had mentioned Weiss' father in such a mocking tone not too long ago, and tried to use a dead man as her weapon to wound the girl. She was a horrible person. Shaking her head, Ruby had to concentrate at the task at hand; she breathed a sigh of relief when the blood stopped just enough to wrap it properly. She tore off her cape and started tearing it into ribbons, but left a larger portion of it together.

Swallowing nervously, Ruby removed a small pocket knife from her pouch, "Weiss, I'm going to have to dress your wound, but..." Ruby paused and clenched her hands in determination, "I need to get you out of your clothes."

She flinched, expecting Weiss to hit her, but when nothing came, the younger girl felt foolish for thinking such a thing. The jacket could be cut in sections and removed easily. The dress, however, was an entirely different matter. When the jacket was removed, Ruby had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from throwing up. Bone was visible along her shoulder, the muscle and tissue was ripped clean from different areas and Ruby was afraid Weiss couldn't use her arm for combat anymore. She was left handed after all.

As gently as possible, Ruby cut a line across the top of Weiss's dress, then ran the knife through the -somewhat- intact side so she could simply peel off the piece of cloth that was in her way without cutting off all of Weiss's clothes. She hoped the process would be easier on Weiss, who flinched at every jerky motion Ruby made with the knife. She needed to get Weiss's entire top half off so she could inspect the wounds on her back, but it didn't take long with carefully placed cuts here and there. It didn't take long to remove most of the older girl's dress and move it out of the way, but it was sticking a bit due to the blood. When she lifted the cloth away, Ruby almost threw up. She hadn't taken a good look at the wound, but now she did. Five gashes on her shoulder had gone across Weiss's entire upper body, but only three of the claw marks stopped short at her waist.

Swallowing thickly, Ruby placed her left hand under Weiss's back, silently apologizing when she felt Weiss tense and release a pained whimper. Ruby used her other hand just under her shoulder to help ease the white-haired girl into a sitting position so she could peel away the back of her attire to reveal five gaping holes going along her back. Those were still bleeding profusely and Ruby knew she was going to panic again (panicking because that's what she was good at).Weiss was going to die of blood loss if she didn't think of something quick and a simple wrapping was not going to help.

"You'll hate me for this...I just know it." Ruby whispered and leaned Weiss back against the tree before getting to her feet, staggering slightly. She looked around frantically until she spotted Myrtenaster. Limping towards the weapon, Ruby picked it up by the hilt, "Please work." Ruby pleaded and mimicked Weiss's practice of revolving the dust chambers until she found the Dust she needed: red.

The blade flared to life, giving off an intense heat as red runes appeared on its surface. The glow died when Ruby idly stared at it, conserving its own energy, which was a good thing. It didn't look like there was much Dust left so she had to make it count. Ruby swallowed the lump in her throat and returned to Weiss. She placed Myrtenaster aside and grabbed a strip of her cloak and balled it up, then tilted Weiss's head back to stuff the cloth into her mouth. Even though she dreamed of doing this to Weiss, Ruby didn't think she'd do it under these circumstances. The white haired girl wouldn't forgive her, but Ruby didn't need her alerting the entire forest however, so it was a necessary evil. She took the rapier into her hands once more and the blade resumed its fiery glow. She didn't know if the blade itself was hot, she wouldn't dare to touch it barehanded.

Ruby made a silent prayer as she stared at the thickest gash. She laughed nervously, "Think of it as ripping off a bandage Ruby; quick and painfu-less! Quick and painless. Ugh I can't do this...no I have to. Weiss will die and she saved your sorry behind back there when she didn't have to. Yeah, that's right, you're going to let her die of blood loss cause you can't cauterize a few, itty-bitty wounds..." Ruby shook her head, "Okay far from itty-bitty...but still point is you have to do this..."

Inhaling deeply, Ruby pinched the sides of the middle wound and pressed the blade flat against it.

If Ruby hadn't thought beforehand to stuff that cloth in Weiss' mouth the whole forest probably would have heard her screaming. Ruby apologized over and over as she repeated the process, working her way outward and doing the same for the other four wounds. She stopped between each one to bend Weiss forward to seal the back injuries. Of course, Ruby had to stop from time to time to throw up because the smell of burning flesh overwhelmed her senses and made her nauseated.

The worst was probably the screaming. No matter how muffled it was, Ruby knew she would be haunted by them.

When Ruby was complete, she removed the cloth from Weiss mouth and then wrapped her cloak around Weiss's upper body; the girl was wearing a bra, but that didn't mean she shouldn't look indecent. The older girl was sweating heavily and her chest rose and fell erratically. It was a miracle she didn't go into shock. The older girl fell against Ruby in a fleeting moment and Ruby simply let her stay there for a little while. It was the only small comfort she could give the girl.

"You awake?"

Weiss made a cracked, pained growl in the back of her throat, which was the only indication Ruby was going to get so she continued as best she could with Weiss leaning against was a bloody miracle she hadn't passed out from the pain.

"Can you stand?" Ruby asked.

Stupid question.

Really stupid question.

Ruby knew she was going to have to carry her. She was in no condition to be trying to stand herself, much less carry someone. Her ribs were still broken, but judging by the fact she wasn't coughing blood, nothing punctured her lungs, but that didn't mean she wasn't in pain herself. Damn it to hell why wasn't the pain going away? She couldn't answer that question; Weiss' life was depending on her to get her out of the forest, "Hold on a moment."

Ruby secured the rapier back on Weiss's hip then braced herself and hooked her arms under Weiss's and heaved the taller girl to her feet as quickly as she could.

Two things happened: Weiss cried out, nearly breaking Ruby's eardrum, and Ruby felt the left side of her body stop functioning. Ruby inhaled deeply to keep her composure. She needed to grit her teeth and push through.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Ruby exclaimed. She was apologizing for more than one thing that day. She didn't stop moving Weiss until the older girl was secured on her back. She hooked her arms under the older girl's knees to keep her from slipping off and then bounced slightly to get Weiss's upper body positioned on her back properly. Her ribs were aching with pain and they fought with her the entire time, but she kept pushing past the pain.

The first step Ruby took, she almost collapsed and dropped Weiss, but on shaky legs she walked forward until she was setting a good pace, a slow one but at least she was moving.

* * *

Next time: Ruby tries to get her foot out her mouth.

A/N: About the 'Aura', I kinda wanna play with their properties myself, so whether others can sync with another persons' to heal, speed up healing, or be used in a number of different ways is entirely based upon my imagination.

Shout out to meh beta: bowow0807


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Hey Weiss," Ruby said to break the silence that had fallen as she trekked through the forest. She had to keep asking questions even if they seemed frivolous, "How'd you get that scar?"

She asked because it was something to keep Weiss awake, even though she was mildly curious ever since she first saw it. It was going to be awkward because ever since Ruby stuck her foot in her mouth, she was cautious about approaching Weiss with anything personal. However, Ruby knew Weiss was too weak to argue with her about the question, and had no doubt in her mind the heiress would answer, if only to keep herself awake.

Weiss grunted, "Accident."

_I wonder what kind_...Ruby thought, "Can you tell me how?"

"I thought...you're the one who's supposed to talk," Weiss muttered, "To keep me awake."

"I figure if you're talking, there's no danger of you falling asleep. I'd probably bore you into a coma anyways." Ruby chuckled.

"What kind of logic is that?" Weiss asked.

Ruby puffed her chest out proudly and proclaimed, "Ruby logic."

"Sucky logic is more like it," Weiss muttered back.

Ruby bit back a laugh, "Come on. Quit avoiding the question."

Weiss pressed her forehead into Ruby's neck, and after a brief pause she replied, "Mama gave it to me."

Ruby nearly fell over when she heard that, but kept her balance. It seemed she was learning a bit more about Weiss than she really needed too. Was this the cosmos coming back to bite her in the butt for that jab at Weiss's father? She swallowed the lump in her throat and, but no matter how she dreaded asking, she continued with her line of questioning, "How did she-"

"Accident." Weiss automatically answered with practiced ease. Ruby caught the clipped tone in Weiss's tone, and knew she was entering into very dangerous waters.

"You said that, but how? Weiss, I need you to tell me so you can stay awake." Ruby pleaded, even though, deep down, she really didn't want to know why, "I can't carry you if you're completely dead weight-"

"Be quiet," Weiss grumbled into Ruby's shoulder. She sounded like she had given up trying to deny Ruby, "And I'll tell you."

Ruby felt herself smile. At least she still had her attitude. That had to count for something. The shorter girl held Weiss just a little bit tighter as her speed picked up.

"When I was little," Weiss began, "my papa ran the company. He wasn't an exceedingly kind man to his peers, but he was very me. I was his snow angel. I was his princess and he treated me like I was his world. My mama wasn't really interested in me, she only cared about the company. Even more so than my papa," She paused briefly to cough, Ruby waited patiently for her to continue, "She was always angry at him because he was dragging the company into the mud and I would always hear them yelling at night, but the next morning it was like I was having a bad dream. They were always happy around me...and I was always happy to see them together-"

"Weiss..."

"One night, the fighting got so bad I climbed out of bed to listen. My papa said things that confused me. He said my mama shouldn't be here and that she would never stand up to Lilli. Mama should have left. Mama started screaming back saying how she let that woman trample all over the company and that one day she was going to run it, and him, into the ground. Then papa said he was leaving and taking me with him, but mama screamed he couldn't take, I was hers...then things got quiet and I thought they were making up...*cough*...but then I heard something. Like glass shattering and I ran."

"I went straight to the parlor, but then ran right into my mama. She was holding a sword, but she saw me in time and managed to curve the blade so she didn't take out my eye, but that's why it looks like this. I remember she was crying, and I remember her saying that I shouldn't be out of bed...I recall seeing my papa on the ground and this black figure looming over his body."

"The Grimm." Ruby whispered.

Weiss shook her head, "Mama said it was when the chaos ended, but I never saw it's face." Weiss gave a weak chuckle, "When I think on it now...she never did apologize for giving me the scar."

Silence fell between the two, an awkward silence that made Ruby wished she had something to say because, for one, she didn't have anything. It didn't stay that way for long as Ruby finally spotted the silhouette of people gathered at the end of the dark, forest path. Relief washed over her and her pace increased. She wanted to get Weiss some place safer.

"I'm sorry," Ruby said.

She felt Weiss shake her head, "What's there to be sorry for?"

"For asking."

Ruby stepped out of the forest and into the large clearing, where Yang and Blake stood. Both looked worse for wear and seemed lost in conversation, but paused when they saw Ruby emerge from the Forest. The younger gave them a full grin.

"Hey guys."

Yang was the first to react. She ran up and engulfed her sister in a tight hug, "What the hell happened?! I was so worried when you didn't come out of there!"

Ruby tapped Yang's arms and she gasped out, "Leggo, sis, hurting me-"

"Sorry!" Yang exclaimed and immediately released her hold on Ruby, who looked like she was going to pass out, "You okay?"

"No, I think I may have three broken ribs and my feet are killing me!" Ruby groaned, "The Grimm caught us by surprise and tore Weiss up pretty bad."

"Why aren't you healing yourself?" Yang asked with a frown.

"I've tried," Ruby sighed in defeat, "Even Weiss is having trouble which is why we even look this beaten up. I tried, really I did."

Blake, who was no standing beside Yang, pried Weiss off Ruby's back and carried the heiress in her arms bridal-style. The girl let out a ghost of a whimper, and Blake moved more carefully, "She wouldn't let me leave until you came back. I tried to leave, really. Your sister...is persuasive..." She cut Yang a glare that went unnoticed, "We're going to probably be the last group that gets back to the others, so we better hurry."

"And to a doctor, fast," Ruby threw in.

Blake looked down at the white-haired girl in her arms and noted the slow raise and fall of Weiss's chest, "You're right."

Yang pulled Ruby into her own arms and carried her younger sister the rest of the way, whilst Blake took the up most care in carrying Weiss. The black-haired girl wasn't overly thrilled about having blood smeared all over her outfit, but nobody was fit to carry Weiss for the moment.

Blake sighed. It seemed she was never going to be rid of these people.

It didn't take the small group long to reach the Cliffs. Ozpin already had a medical team on standby, and Yang and Blake quickly turned the injured pair over. The students who had made it back before them stared in awed, some confused, and Nora, whom did not have the stomach for blood, proceeded to cling to Lie's sleeve and scream 'ewewewew' like the Karma Sutra. Jaune's jaw dropped at the state of Ruby's tattered, blood soaked clothes and made steps to approach her, but Pyrrha stopped him. She shook her head and slowly pulled him back.

"But she's my friend." He said.

"I know, but give her space. She needs it," Pyrrha said soothingly while casting a worried look towards the younger girl.

Before Ruby was wheeled away by the medic staff, she reached out and grabbed Ozpin's sleeve tentatively and looked at him pleadingly.

He smiled affectionately and bent down closer to her, "Yes Ruby?"

"Please Professor Ozpin," Ruby begged, "Don't fail Wiess. If she gets a bad grade because of today, she'll kill me!"

Yang facepalmed and Blake _almost_ smiled.

* * *

Next time: Weiss and Ruby share a hospital room. Won't that be fun?

A/N: Sorry it was short; I had nothing more planned for this chapter. Chapter 8 should be a bit longer.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"I refuse," Weiss growled between clenched teeth.

Ozpin didn't look the slightest bit remorseful and hadn't bothered to look up from his clipboard. He adjusted his glasses on his face before he said, "I'm sorry, but there is simply nothing I can do. It has to be done or your enrollment here at Beacon will cease per the agreement you signed. I don't like this as much as you, Ms. Schnee, but she insists."

"But that's not fair! Don't I have a say in this-" Weiss shouted, her body lurching forwards. The movement was too quick and jerky and she coughed violently into her hand, then leaned back against the bed. Her body was sore, the medication hardly doing a thing to dull the pain. She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply, "May we discuss this at another time, Professor?"

"I wish I could. Even if we were to she'll be here by the morning." he stood from the chair that was sitting besides Weiss's bed and moved it back to its original spot. Although he was sympathetic to Weiss's plight, he couldn't interfere anymore than he already had by speaking with her about the meeting. As much as Ozpin wanted to, he couldn't stop it from happening. Before he left the room, he paused to stare briefly at the other occupant in the room, Ruby, and smiled, "I hope you both recover quickly. Sleep well you two."

Ruby offered the older man a smile, "Thanks Professor."

He gave her a curt nod and exited the room promptly.

Ruby turned her head to face Weiss, who was turning on her right side. She felt bad for the older girl.

Weiss couldn't rest on her back very often or her left side or she'd upset the stitches the nurses used. The stitches weren't really needed, but it was the only way to keep the wounds properly shut to keep out infections while they healed on their own. Using the Dust to burn the wounds shut was (if Ruby remembered Ozpin's words correctly) a "recklessly brilliant plan only an idiot would think of". However, it was not without it setbacks. The wounds couldn't properly heal if they remained cauterized, so after extensive surgery the burned flesh was scraped off and to take their place: stitches.

Weiss now had to suffer the indignity of staring at Ruby, if she didn't have her eyes closed. It was either that or a white wall, but even Weiss didn't have the strength (or courage) to roll on her other side to avoid staring.

"You know," Ruby said with a small grin, "You can always close the curtains."

Weiss scowled in return, "I can't get out of bed, you dolt."

Ruby raised her hands in surrender, "Don't need to call names. I was just making a suggestion."

"A stupid one."

It was Ruby's turn to frown, "Hey, I saved your lif-"

"No," Weiss bit out through clenched teeth, "_I_ tried to save _you_ from your stupidity. What was it you said?"

Ruby groaned inwardly, knowing what was coming.

"_I'm not slow. You're gonna see a whole new side of me and you're going to love it? I'm strong enough on my own._" Weiss quoted Ruby almost perfectly and then she snorted, "Yeah, great job proving your point. I was very impressed with your ability to freeze in the middle of battle like a frightened child."

If Ruby had the strength she would whack Weiss in the face with her pillow. She had her reasons: _valid_ reasons. She thought Weiss was going to die! Ruby didn't particularly like the idea of seeing anyone she knew die in front of her, not someone she cared about...not again anyways. The dark-haired girl's face twisted when the horrible memories of her past resurfaced, but she quickly banished them from her mind. It wasn't like she intended to just freeze like she did. Was it really her fault her body simply _reacted_ to the situation in the worst possible way? Was it that hard to believe?

Ruby sighed.

Weiss wasn't going to take that as an excuse. She would demand an explanation that Ruby couldn't give her. The black-haired girl did learn a thing or two about Weiss, and it may have been fair to share a bit of her past -tit for tat- but it was unlikely that Weiss, with her infinite stubbornness, was going to listen or care for that matter.

"Sorry I didn't live up to your expectations," Ruby grumbled.

Weiss rolled her eyes, but even that hurt a little, "Yeah, well, next time don't make yourself out to be so great. You're not."

"Why do you have to treat me like a child all the time?" Ruby asked, "I said I was sorry."

She wanted to know if she could make this right between them in any way. It did dawn upon her, more than once, that Weiss was in the hospital because of her. Recounting the events after Yang and Blake handed them both to the medics, Ruby remembered the older girl went into shock when they were on their way to the hospital. Her heart had stopped...twice if Ruby remembered correctly. Watching the medic team try to jolt Weiss's heart back to life was the eighth most unfortunate thing Ruby had witnessed. The cause of her heart stopping was unknown, even now no one could tell her what happened. Somehow, Ruby reasoned, it was her fault Weiss was losing the fight for her life (well not so much as reasoned, more like broke down in tears because she knew it was her fault, but she wasn't about to tell _anyone_ that).

Ruby looked over to Weiss, "What do you want from-" she paused mid sentence.

Weiss, who had gotten strangely quiet while she was mentally berating herself, had fallen asleep or at least she appeared asleep. Within the next hour someone was going to come in and wake her up to change her bandages, but she must have been too exhausted to keep on the conversation. Insulting people and making them feel insignificant must take a lot of energy. Ruby wanted so badly to throw her pillow and see if Weiss was awake or just ignoring her, but that would have been rude (uncalled for, mean, really-_really_-stupid, the list on why that idea was bad was endless). Ruby sighed and leaned back against her bed; she closed her eyes.

Tomorrow was another day.

* * *

...

"I don't give a damn!"

"You're in a hospital m'am I'll have to ask you to calm down -"

"Do you know who I am! I'll have you out on your ass faster than you can count how many brain cells you have in that tiny head of yours!"

"M-mother, please. There are other patients here-"

Ruby felt her eyebrow twitch.

"Since when did you start caring about those beneath you, Weiss?" A snort. "While we're on the topic of you, I see money was wasted on those lessons. You learned nothing. I didn't think after all those sessions you're still as weak as you are."

"Why are you complaining? It's not _your_ money that was used for my lessons."

Ruby took the lengthy silence that followed the statement to roll onto her side. It was apparent sleep would be impossible. She cracked an eye open, startled slightly by the woman hovering over her. It took a moment before her brain caught up with her body and she relaxed. It was only the nurse checking the machines and replacing the IV fluid pack. The nurse had a troubled look on her face, and Ruby could bet it was because of all the noise a not so nice person was causing. She looked past the older woman to the curtains that were drawn between Weiss's and her beds. Ruby opened her mouth to ask what was going on when another voice, shill and angry, took her place.

"You...why you ungrateful little bitch!"

The slap echoed throughout the room.

"M'am please!" Another nurse shouted from behind the curtain.

Ruby felt her own cheek tingle a bit; a painful reminder that Weiss had slapped her days ago in a short-lived bout of rage. Then she thought, just for a second, who would dare slap someone who was in the hospital, and then she was angry-really angry. The fifteen year old threw the covers off of her, ignoring the nurse that tried to silently encourage her to return to bed, and tore the curtain barrier aside to reveal a woman(whose back was turned to Ruby) and Weiss sitting up in bed with her hand holding her reddening cheek. This only served to anger Ruby more.

"Hey!" Ruby exclaimed, causing the woman's shoulders to square, "Yeah, I'm talkin' to you!"

The woman straightened herself and turned to face Ruby. Cold, dark green colored eyes stared back at Ruby and the younger girl found all her bravado disappearing by that one glance. The woman turned fully to Ruby, giving her a full view of herself. She was dressed in a black pencil skirt and a buttoned up long sleeved shirt. She had platinum blonde hair, shoulder length with light blue highlights. Her dark eyes bore holes into Ruby and the younger girl instinctively took a step back.

The black-haired girl quickly looked to Weiss, who didn't bother looking at her or the woman, trying to hold in tears. Ruby clenched her teeth. How dare she hit Weiss. She didn't care who she was in relation to Weiss, that was wrong.

"So you're the little peasant Weiss stuck her neck out for. A little young...who knew Ozpin was into loli..." The woman mused to herself and Ruby felt a wave of anger crash inside her.

_Peasant?! _Ruby growled, "I am not a-"

The woman turned her back to Ruby, "I must speak to Ozpin when I leave. Allowing such filth to trudge around this prestigious school..."

Ruby took a step forward, "Excuse me-"

"Unforgivable. If there was another school such as Beacon you'd best believe I would send you there instead, Weiss."

"Don't ignore me!" Ruby exclaimed, grabbing the back of the woman's shirt.

She had a hold of it all of one second before she was violently thrown back onto her bed by a rune. The nurses practically cried at the sight and rushed to Ruby's aid. The fifteen year old's upper body was leaning against the wall just under the window while the lower half of her body was barely on top of the bed. She saw stars in her vision, unsure what exactly hit her and, if not for the medication the nurses had given her, she'd probably be feeling the pain all over her body. The nurse helped Ruby back to her feet, while the other was demanding for the woman to leave.

She merely clicked her tongue in annoyance, "She put her hand on me and I defended myself."

"She wasn't attacking you..." Weiss whispered, but she still wasn't looking towards Ruby or the older woman.

"Regardless, it is in my right to fend off against any assault on my person, no matter how insignificant they may be," The woman snapped back, "As for you Weiss, I expect you out of that bed in two days. I will not have you continue to slap your father in the face by showing such weakness."

Ruby wanted to sock the woman in her jaw, but first the room had to stop spinning.

She walked around the bed, never casting Weiss a second glance, "See that this doesn't happen again."

"Yes mother." Weiss said and felt relief once the door to the room shut upon her mother's exit.

After an uneasy calm, Ruby sat back on her bed, grumbling miserably to herself. Weiss raised an eyebrow and looked towards Ruby for the first time that day and was surprised to see how angry she looked.

When Ruby heard the story of how Weiss got her scar, she assumed her mother was caring, she sounded a bit cold, but still the image of a warm, loving mother was stuck in Ruby's mind. She did not expect that woman to treat Weiss so poorly after a mistake _she_ had made. Not Weiss but her and Weiss got most of the heat for it. Even if Ruby had no mother of her own to speak of-Yang's family was the next best thing-Ruby knew parents were supposed to be supportive, but had to also lead their child with a firm hand.

Weiss's mother was a textbook example of what _not _to do with a child.

"That no good...rotten-" Ruby released a scream, startling the people around her, and she punched her pillow, "Who does she think she is talking to you like that?! She has some nerve! If I were you I'd shove my foot where the sun doesn't shine! And slapping you? Next time I see her I'm gonna-"

A soft chuckle made Ruby pause her rant and she looked over to Weiss, who had a hand over her mouth, trying to hold something in. After several moments, Weiss started laughing.

Ruby blushed and turned away from Weiss, "It's not funny..." she muttered.

The only reason Weiss stopped laughing was because her wounds started to reopen and the nurse had to redress them. Ruby bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing as well when Weiss was forced to stop. She never heard Weiss like that before, or ever for that matter and hearing it made Ruby smile a little. For whatever reason she started doing it was irrelevant; it was still a treat.

And even after all that, the day dragged on in relative peace after the unpleasant encounter with Weiss's mother. That little outburst from Weiss still fresh in Ruby's mind, even late into the evening. The nurse had told Ruby she was clear to leave tomorrow, but Weiss still had at least a week of recovering to do, which meant another week of staring at white walls. When the nurses went about their business, leaving Weiss and Ruby to sleep, Ruby tugged the sheets aside and crept out of her bed.

She pulled the curtains back and looked to Weiss, who was on her side facing Ruby's bed. The younger girl hovered over Weiss for a few minutes before she went to work. She was quiet, yet worked quickly to set everything in place. She did well to not tangle any cords or important cables in case they might go off or get unplugged. Ruby took extra care in making sure she didn't wake up Weiss, otherwise it would have all been pointless.

When everything was in place, Ruby drew the curtains back and crawled back in her bed.

"Sweet dreams, Weiss."

* * *

Bright and loud chirping woke Weiss up. She opened her eyes, curious as to why she could hear the birds so close. If Ruby opened the window and let a bird in she was going to kill her. The white-haired girl sat up very slowly so she didn't irritate her wounds and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes.

"Ruby?" Weiss called with a yawn. She turned her head towards Ruby, but didn't see the younger girl. Instead, what greeted her, was the sky. She stared out the window for a short while then turned her head the other way.

The curtains were drawn back, revealing a bed neatly made like no one had been sleeping on it at all. Of course, Ruby was going home that morning, but that didn't explain why she was suddenly next to the window. Shaking her head, Weiss assumed a nurse moved her during the night and she just didn't notice. Leaning back against her bed, Weiss spotted a folded piece of paper on the small table beside her bed. She plucked it from the table and flipped it open with curiosity. When she was finished reading the note, Weiss placed it back on top of the table and stared out the window with a small smile on her face.

_Weiss,_

_I figured you'd like a view when you __wake __up._

_Ruby_

* * *

Next Time: With Weiss stuck in the hospital what's Ruby to do?

**A/N**: See I can do fluff if I want to, but if any of you have forgotten this is still White Rose (which is an awesome shipping name for WeissxRuby (or RubyxWeiss, whichever your preference)); it's just slow burn.  
Special thanks to **bowow0807 **for doing x, y and z for me and SagetheShadow for being a second pair of eyes for me.


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